


One For The Ages

by Serenity



Category: Elementary (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2020-10-28 18:26:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20783105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serenity/pseuds/Serenity
Summary: I just need a lot of fluff for the year we missed in the last episode. So, this made more sense to me than I thought.





	One For The Ages

"You realise, I can pay you for this," the man said while slowly clothing himself again.

The woman on the bed looked at him, incredulously.

"I don't mean the sex," he added. "You made it quite clear that you consider our... engagement a vacation. I mean the insights."  
The woman smiled and pulled the duvet over her legs. Then she leaned back. "You are a piece of work, Sherlock."

"How so?" he asked, his face up, mouth puckered.

"Come tomorrow night. I'll tell you."

Sherlock got up and tied his belt. "Not possible."

"That's a first. I mean, you dismissing such an invitation," the woman said.

A rare genuine smile appeared on his face. "Tomorrow belongs to someone else."

The woman lit a cigarette. "You are not going to be unfaithful, aren't you?" She blew out the smoke in a way that made Sherlock hum inside.

This woman was the only one he still had regular sex with. During the last year he had calmed, his adventurous spirit soothed by the constant presence of his son. He did not think about it until four weeks ago when he had proposed to Joan with very good reasons. The cancer treatment had been successful but they still waited for the final results. Though, Sherlock's decision had nothing to do with Joan being cancer free or not. During the last months with Arthur in their home he came to realise that they were a family anyway. Why not secure their life and giving them access to all the wealth of Morland Holmes.

"I have never been faithful to begin with," he said and took the files she had procured for him. "But I'm quite good with arrangements these days."

"It's always a pleasure to do business with you," the woman replied.

Sherlock said his Good-bye.

Arthur was playing in the living room. Sherlock had taken up residency in Joan's old room. Fortunately, there were plenty of them in the Brownstone so he got some privacy. But often enough he found himself watching and engaging with Arthur. They even had reduced the babysitter hours to a certain degree.

Joan had been reluctant, of course. She did not want her child to be in the middle of their work, but then, with her going through chemo they only took a few cases anyway. Sherlock asked her insight now and then but he kept it to a minimum, or he did not work cases at all.

Sherlock had been sitting in hospital chairs a fair amount of time last year, and if he had not, he joined Arthur in eating cereal and marshmellows for dinner. Sherlock had come to cherish the disturbing but surprisingly structuring presence of a child. His own eating and sleeping habits had almost synchronised with the child's needs and Watsons, of course.

Joan sat in front of her computer and answered e-mails.

"Your mother is on new meds, I presume?" Sherlock asked, opening the fridge.

"Well, she better." Joan answered typing away. "I won't have her ruining tomorrow."

"She won't," Sherlock said, sniffing the leftovers from the day before.

Joan shook her head and smiled.

"Have you had some rest this afternoon?" he asked taking in her posture and face.

She looked at him. Anger welled up, but when she saw the raw expression on his face she remembered not to worry about tomorrow too much. He had taken care of everything, there was no doubt.

"I had," she replied. "A little."

Sherlock sighed.

"The suits came and the deliveries for the reception," she said.

"We have people taking care of this," Sherlock insisted.

"Yes, but I am not incapacitated, you remember?"

Sherlock bit his lip.

Joan got up and moved towards him. She raised her hand, carefully touching his left cheek. "I am as excited about tomorrow as you are."

"I doubt that," Sherlock interrupted.

She laughed. "Just because we are not sleeping together doesn't make this any less important to me."

"I know," he said, cupping her hand with his. "Forgive me, I am...quite new to this."

She smiled again. "Me too."

It was a simple ceremony. Joan's mother sat behind them and smiled at the registrar. Her sister and Sherlock's most trusted irregular attended as witnesses.

"I do" were such simple words but they contained a promise that went far beyond matters of daily routine and commitment for Sherlock and Joan. They had been tied together long before this day but now it was official. The world was allowed to know that his life belonged to his family.

Arthur brought the rings.

They did not kiss, instead Sherlock kissed her hand like the gentleman he could be when it came to people he cared about. Then they hugged for a long time and he whispered in her ear all the pledges he could not say out loud.

She closed her eyes and enjoyed every word. Nothing could change her love for this man, no enemies they had accumulated, no fear of death nor marriage.

They finally put on the rings. Joan felt whole. Inside she thanked Tommy Gregson for ignoring her wish to hide her illness from Sherlock a year ago.

The days went by. Finally, the results came from Dr. Telleveccio. Sherlock marked the important line – cancer free.

They had discussed the possibility to work for the department again. Sherlock did not pressure her. Joan needed time to adjust to their new situation. They had started to enjoy an evening now and then along the fireplace. During her battle with cancer she often was too weak to go upstairs to her bed. Then she lay on the new couch and Sherlock saw to her needs for warmth and safety. At first she had declined his offer of comfort. She was not used to being so fragile, but he tended to her like a delicate flower that touched Joan's heart in ways she could not have imagined. This past year had revealed a depth to their bond that went beyond anything they both had experienced so far.

Sherlock was bringing tea and resumed his place beside her at the fire. Joan leaned back against him and pondered the implications of fully returning as consultants.

"How would that even work? Arthur would need a new babysitter. What if we need to work over night." Joan inhaled and covered her face.

Sherlock took her hand. "It will work. We make it work. You remember, for better and for worse."

Joan never wanted him to feel obligated to care for Arthur, but then he had adopted him six month ago. Just for safety reasons, of course.

Truth was, the boy had caught Sherlock's heart by storm. He never thought there could ever be room for somebody besides Joan, but there was.

She looked around, imagining their days as detectives again. "I need to redecorate, don't I?" she asked. This living room looked far more like a conventional home than she liked.

"You don't need to do anything. Just be what you have always been. My companion," Sherlock replied.

"And how will we convince Marcus to give us our jobs back?" Joan asked.

"We just pay him a visit in a few days. Before that I need to attend a funeral," Sherlock said.

The wig needed some getting used to, but Sherlock insisted it looked very natural. They stood in the elevator like they had done so many times before. But today it felt as if it was the first day. In a way it was true.

Some last details bothered Joan but Sherlock calmed her down. He was right. As long as they were together nothing seemed impossible.

They knocked on Captain Bell's door and entered. Marcus' face was worth to remember, Joan thought.

"We like to be of service to the NYPD once more. Our resumee," Sherlock said, handing papers to the detective behind the desk.

Marcus Bell was surprised, to say the least but a warm fuzzy feeling expanded through his chest. "Please take a seat," he said.

He took the papers, reading the headline and address. "Is that a typo?" he asked.

"It is not, Captain," Joan replied and smiled.

For a moment their long trusted friend fell silent. Then his face lit up and he shook their hands. "Looks good to me. I had a feeling you'd knock on my door these days. Welcome back to work, Joan and Sherlock Watson."


End file.
